Depositing natural stibnite on 3D TiO2 nanotube array networks as high-performance thin-film anode for lithium-ion batteries

• Published in: Rare metals Vol. 40; no. 11; pp. 3215 - 3221
• Main Authors: Yu, Juan, Meng, Bi-Cheng, Wang, Le-Jie, Wang, Qi, Huang, Wen-Long, Wang, Xu-Yang, Fang, Zhao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Nonferrous Metals Society of China 01.11.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adhesion; Arrays; Biomaterials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Dimensionally stable anodes; Energy; Lithium; Lithium-ion batteries; Materials Engineering; Materials Science; Metallic Materials; Nanoparticles; Nanoscale Science and Technology; Nanotubes; Original Article; Physical Chemistry; Rechargeable batteries; Stibnite; Substrates; Titanium dioxide; Lithium-ion batteries; TiO; Anode; nanotube array; Natural stibnite
• ISSN: 1001-0521; 1867-7185
• DOI: 10.1007/s12598-020-01658-0

Three-dimensional (3D) thin-film electrodes are promising solution to the volume change of active materials in lithium-ion batteries. As a conductive current collector, the 3D TiO 2 nanotube array networks (TNAs) have a one-dimensional stable electronic conductive path and increase the adhesion between the current collector and raw material, thereby improving the cycle stability of active materials. In this study, a novel 3D-TNAs@Sb 2 S 3 anode was fabricated by directly depositing natural stibnite onto 3D TNAs. The adhesion of Sb 2 S 3 particles to the substrate was enhanced due to the large surface area provided by 3D-TNAs. Moreover, the porous layered structure composed of Sb 2 S 3 nanoparticles relieved the stress generated during lithiation and adapted to the volume change of Sb 2 S 3 during cycling. Therefore, the resulting composite anode exhibits high cycle and rate performance, reaching 0.36 mAh·cm −2  after 80 cycles at the galvanostatic rate of 1 mA·cm −2 , with high coulombic efficiency of 98%.